Strengthen your lower back, loosen your hips and offset the effects of prolonged sitting with a beginner-friendly alternative to the 300-rep kettlebell swings workout
Swap swings for good mornings and RDLs to reinforce your posterior chain
Part of my duty as a fitness writer with a background in personal training is to try workouts and interrogate fitness fads so you, dear reader, don’t have to.
At the start of the year, I undertook the 300 kettlebell swings a day challenge, which involved, you guessed it, doing 300 daily kettlebell swings every day for 30 consecutive days.
Before going any further, I want to highlight that this is an advanced challenge and not one I’d recommend a beginner or even intermediate-level exerciser embark on.
Article continues belowEven with my background I approached the challenge cautiously, starting with an extra light weight, breaking up the 300 swings with lots of rest, stretching thoroughly before and after, and resting and refuelling adequately when not performing kettlebell swings.
Caveats aside, after 30 days, I was pleasantly surprised with the results.
Performing daily hip hinges, the movement pattern that underpins the kettlebell swing, strengthened my glutes and loosened my hip flexors, helping reinforce my slightly weak and injury-prone lower back, while offsetting the deconditioning effect of prolonged sitting.
Several weeks since the conclusion of the challenge, I still find myself returning to variations of the 300-rep workout at home or in the gym, partly because of its simplicity and effectiveness.
Rather than keep the benefits to myself, below I’ve detailed a heavily scaled-down version of this workout that is more appropriate for the average Joe and Jo, if performed sparingly rather than daily. It swaps in more beginner-friendly hip hinge exercises while reducing the overall volume of kettlebell swings.
How to do my 300-rep hip hinge workout for beginners
To perform the scaled version of this workout, all you need is one light to moderately heavy kettlebell that you are confident using for kettlebell swings. I used a 16kg (35lb) bell, for example.
If you’ve never done a kettlebell swing before, I’d suggest stopping the workout after the Romanian deadlifts until you can consult a certified personal trainer to learn good technique. The kettlebell swing is a great exercise, but get it wrong, as many do, and there’s every chance your lower back will be angry at you the next day.
Your objective with the below is not to complete the workout as fast as you can. In fact, I suggest breaking each 50-rep block into smaller chunks.
Rest as needed throughout the workout and stretch thoroughly after, focusing on your glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and lower back.
1. Unweighted good morning
Reps: 50
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and hands by your ears with your elbows pointing out to the sides.
- Sit your butt back as you hinge at the hips, keeping your back flat.
- You should feel a gentle stretch in the back of your thighs as your hamstrings lengthen.
- Hinge down to a comfortable point, then drive your hips forward to straighten up.
2. Assisted unweighted single-leg Romanian deadlift
Reps: 25 each side
- Stand next to a wall or chair that you can use for support as required.
- Lift one foot just off the floor to take your weight in the other foot.
- Hinge forward on this standing leg as you reach your opposite arm toward your foot.
- At the same time, allow your raised leg to lift high behind you in a pivoting motion.
- You should feel this stretch in the back of the thigh on your standing leg.
- Drive your hips forward to reverse the movement to standing.
- You can alternate sides for the full 50 reps or perform 25 on one side, then switch.
3. Unweighted glute bridge
Reps: 50
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor close to your butt.
- Engage your core then push through your feet to lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees, keeping your knees hip-width apart.
- Pause for a second, then lower slowly to tap the floor and repeat.
- Keep your deep core muscles engaged to avoid letting your lower back arch.
- Press your arms into the floor if you need help maintaining your stability.
4. Weighted Romanian deadlift
Reps: 50
Now that you’re using weights, I'd suggest breaking these reps into smaller chunks and taking more rest between sets.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the kettlebell in both hands in front of your thighs.
- Sit your butt back as you hinge at the hips to lower the weight down your legs.
- Keep your back flat and gaze on the floor to keep your neck and spine neutral.
- You should feel a gentle stretch in the back of your thighs as your hamstrings lengthen.
- Hinge down to a comfortable point, then drive your hips forward to straighten up.
5. Kettlebell swing
Reps: 50
If ready to advance to the kettlebell swings, break up these 50 reps into manageable sets.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the kettlebell on the floor around a foot in front of your feet.
- Hinge forward to grasp the kettlebell handle in both hands with an overhand grip.
- Retract your shoulder blades to engage your upper back and brace your core.
- Pull the weight towards you and let it swing between your legs.
- Drive your hips forward powerfully to stand upright, generating the momentum to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height, keeping your arms relaxed but grip firm.
- Allow the weight to swing between your legs as you hinge forward at your hips, keeping your back flat, and go straight into the next rep.
6. Single-arm kettlebell swing
Reps: 25 each side
Lastly, this unilateral version of the kettlebell swing will test your strength on either side of your body to even out imbalances or weaknesses.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the kettlebell on the floor around a foot in front of your feet.
- Hinge forward to grasp the kettlebell handle in one hand with an overhand grip.
- Retract your shoulder blades to engage your upper back, brace your core and extend your other arm to the side at shoulder height.
- Pull the weight towards you and let it swing between your legs.
- Drive your hips forward powerfully to stand upright, generating the momentum to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height, keeping your arms relaxed but grip firm.
- Allow the weight to swing between your legs as you hinge forward at your hips, keeping your back flat, and go straight into the next rep.
- Ensure you keep a tight grip on the handle throughout, as this will be challenged more than when performing the two-handed variety.
- Perform a set amount of reps on one side, then switch sides, ensuring an equal number on your left and right.
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